Cutting tools are widely used to perform many different functions. For example, cutting tools are used to cut hair, clothing, electrical wire, paper, flowers, tree branches, wood products, metal products, carpeting, food, etc. In order to increase cutting performance, the cutting tool art has become highly specialized so that a different type of cutting tool may be used to best perform each of the above mentioned cutting operations. More particularly, a standard garden shears may be used to cut tree branches, prune plants or cut flowers. A scissors may be used for ordinary cutting operations while scissors having a more precision type blade may be used to cut hair or clothing.
There is also known a variety of cutting tools which include a replaceable cutting blade, for example, utility knives used by contractors for various trimming operations and a flush cutter as disclosed in Applicant's copending application Ser. No. 304,889 entitled, "Flushcutter" filed on Sep. 13, 1994. Common in each of these aforementioned cutting tools is a blade holder assembly operative to enable attachment of the cutting blade to the handle to enable use of the cutting tool, while at the same time, enabling ready removal of the cutting blade when the need for replacement arises, e.g., when the blade becomes worn or broken. In this regard, a blade holder assembly must satisfy two competing objectives, i.e., securing the cutting blade for use while enabling its ready replacement. Although there is known blade holder assemblies which attempt to meet each of these objectives, they typically do not achieve both objectives equally well.
In addition to the foregoing requirements for the blade holder assembly, the cutting tool should be constructed from one or more frame members of sufficient rigidity to enable use of the cutting tool for its intended purpose. To this end, known cutting tools have been constructed from rigid and heavy metal frame members in order to meet this need. This can result in the cutting tool being heavy, bulky to hold, and often expensive to manufacture. There is accordingly an unsolved need for a cutting tool which is constructed from one or more lightweight frame members of sufficient rigidity to meet the demands of the use of these cutting tools in a variety of applications, such as those noted hereinabove.